CFI Hosts Biggest Ever Annual Business Lunch CFI’S Biggest Ever Annual Business Lunch Took Place on the 16Th December 2014
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CFI Annual Update NEWSLETTER CFI hosts biggest ever Annual Business Lunch CFI’s biggest ever Annual Business Lunch took place on the 16th December 2014. Keynote speakers the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP, and Ambassador of Israel, H.E. Daniel Taub, addressed over 150 Conservative Parliamentarians, including 13 members of the Cabinet, and 600 key businesspeople. The Prime Minister received a standing ovation for his staunchly supportive speech from the 750-strong audience. “This amazing organisation [CFI], bigger today than I have ever seen it, works both ways. This group is a friend of the Conservatives. For the past 40 years, CFI has been there for this Party, bringing us together, getting behind our candidates and taking people to Israel because nothing comes closer to helping you understand that country than actually visiting.” Prime Minister David Cameron, December 2014 CFI Annual Business Lunch 2014 with Prime Minister David Cameron “I believe in Israel – In his speech, the Prime Minister underlined that he was a and that belief is rock solid.” loyal friend of Israel, and that the Conservative Party “will always stand behind [Israel], the homeland of the Jewish people.” “I’ve been a friend of Israel through thick and thin. I believe in Israel – and that belief is rock solid. It is an extraordinary nation – and even more extraordinary when you think where it is.” Prime Minister David Cameron, December 2014 “Israel is a vulnerable country and yet, against all odds, it has become an oasis of freedom where the call to prayer mingles with church bells, where Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, echo down narrow streets. And it’s a symbol of success, supplying Britain with a sixth of our prescription medicines, developing the processors that we all use in our laptops. And Israel is a country with more start-ups per capita than any other country in the world. What an incredible nation this is – and we are a true friend.” Prime Minister David Prime Minister David Cameron and Ambassador H.E. Daniel Cameron, December 2014 Taub with CFI Board at Annual Business Lunch 2014 1 PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON IN ISRAEL “I will always stand up for the right of Israel to defend its citizens.” Prime Minister David Cameron made his much anticipated first official visit to Israel in March 2014. The Prime Minister demonstrated his solidarity with Israel in a rousing speech to the Knesset where he underlined his “unbreakable” support for the Jewish State. “On my last visit here, I took a helicopter ride heading north over Israel, looking right to the Jordan River and left to the Mediterranean Sea. I really appreciated for the first time just how narrow and vulnerable this land is... It gave me a renewed understanding of what it must be like to be afraid in your own home. So let me say to you very clearly – with me you have a British Prime Minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock solid. I will always stand up for the right of Israel to defend its citizens, a right enshrined in international law, in natural justice and fundamental morality, and in decades of common endeavour between Israel and her allies.” Prime Minister David Cameron, Prime Minister David Cameron addressing Knesset, March 2014 the Israeli Knesset “With me you have a British Prime Minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable.” The visit also included bilateral meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Israeli President Shimon Peres, as well as an emotional ceremony at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, where the Prime Minister laid a wreath of remembrance. During his visit, the Prime Minister attended an event at Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva, and was pleased to welcome more than £70 million of Israeli investment into the UK. Prime Minister Cameron highlighted the fact that British-Israeli trade has “doubled in a decade and is now worth £5 billion a year.” “Delegitimising the State of Israel is wrong. It’s abhorrent. And together we will defeat it.” The Prime Minister was joined on his visit by five Conservative MPs; CFI Parliamentary Chairman James Prime Minister David Cameron with Israeli Clappison MP, David Burrowes MP, Mike Freer MP, Matthew Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Offord MP and Lee Scott MP. 2 DELEGATIONS 2014 FEBRUARY MARCH 2014 APRIL 2014 CFI led a delegation of four Conservative CFI were delighted to take five CFI was accompanied by seven MPs for a MPs, and two Parliamentary Candidates Conservative MPs to join Prime Minister tailored delegation about Iran. In a series of to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. David Cameron on his first official visit meetings with Israeli officials and experts, the The group included former Minister to Israel. CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman group heard about Iran’s nuclear programme, for Policing and Justice, Rt. Hon. Nick James Clappison MP, David Burrowes support for terrorism, and human rights Herbert MP, Peter Bone MP, Robert Halfon MP, Mike Freer MP, Matthew Offord MP, abuses. The group included now Minister of MP, Simon Marcus, PPC for Hampstead and Lee Scott MP, took part in additional State for Disabled People, Mark Harper MP, and Kilburn, and Tom Pursglove, PPC meetings scheduled by CFI, including James Wharton MP, Guto Bebb MP, Robert for Corby. The group were given the dinner with Ambassador Dore Gold and Halfon MP, Andrew Percy MP, Michael Ellis opportunity to meet and hear from a a meeting with Dr Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s MP, and Jack Lopresti MP. Following their range of top Israeli officials, and visited Minister for Intelligence and Strategic visit, the MPs authored a CFI-published the Syria and Lebanon borders. Affairs. report on Iran’s nuclear programme. MAY 2014 2014 JULY 2014 JUNE CFI organised a series of meetings for CFI led a delegation to Israel and the West CFI coordinated a delegation of six Conservative MPs that were in Israel, including Justice Bank for five Conservative PPCs and parliamentarians to participate in the third Secretary, Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP, parliamentary advisers, including Afzal Amin annual Australia Israel UK Leadership Home Office Minister, James Brokenshire PPC, Craig Williams PPC, John Bell PPC, Dialogue in Jerusalem. Parliamentarians David Mackintosh PPC, and Derek Thomas in attendance included Sir Edward Garnier MP, John Howell OBE MP, and Bob PPC. The delegates received security QC MP and Baroness Pauline Neville- Neill MP. The MPs met with British briefings from the IDF on Israel’s northern Jones. Taking place amidst the tension and Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Matthew borders with Syria and Lebanon and met unease of Operation Protective Edge, the Gould, and visited the northern Galilee with some of Israel’s leading officials Conservative parliamentarians gained a first- region of Israel, as well as the ancient and academics, such as Mark Regev, hand understanding of the complexities of Masada fortification and the Dead Sea. spokesperson for Prime Minister Netanyahu. daily life in the area. NOVEMBER 2014 CFI led a delegation to Israel for Oliver Dowden, PPC for Hertsmere, who joined Cabinet Office Minister, Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP on his cyber-security oriented visit to the country. The pair visited the Har Dov synanogue in Jerusalem, the site of a deadly terror attack against worshippers a week earlier, paying their respects at the shiva of British-Israeli victim Rabbi Avraham Goldberg. 3 CAMPAIGNS MPs regularly speak up MPs hold the Government policy not to interfere in Backbench Business. In total, only 44% of MPs in for Israel in Parliament to account on Iran the House of Commons took part in the vote. Following the vote, Prime Minister MPs regularly stand up for Israel in Conservative MPs continued to raise Cameron reaffirmed the UK’s opposition to concerns in Parliament throughout the Parliament, asking questions on issues unilateralism and prematurely recognising year about Iran’s nuclear programme, such as Israel’s security concerns; Palestinian statehood. Palestinian incitement; the importance as negotiations between the P5+1 and of direct negotiations; Israel’s peace the Islamic Republic took place. In July, initiatives; the importance of rejecting CFI published the report ‘Iran’s Nuclear MPs campaign against terrorist groups and boycotts; and the Programme: Securing a Permanent and Comprehensive Nuclear Agreement’, anti-Israel boycotts Iranian nuclear threat. In December, ten written by six Conservative MPs. Conservative MPs spoke of their support MPs have voiced strong opposition to any for Israel during a heated Westminster boycotts against Israeli and Jewish goods, Hall debate on ‘Palestine’, countering a Conservative MPs voice and receive regular briefing from CFI on number of hard-line anti-Israel Labour opposition to Palestinian this important issue. In August, a number MPs who made a series of polarising unilateralism of Conservative MPs wrote to Prime speeches. Minister David Cameron to condemn the In October, 87% of Conservative MPs removal of kosher food from a central expressed opposition to Palestinian London branch of Sainbury’s supermarket. unilateralism when they chose not to support Labour MP Grahame Morris’s controversial non-binding Backbench Business motion urging the Government to recognise a ‘state of Palestine’ outside of peace talks. The motion passed, with 75% of the Labour Party - including both front and backbench MPs - voting in favour of the motion. Over 100 Conservative members of the Government did not participate in the vote, in line with Government EVENTS JANUARY-MARCH 2014 APRIL-AUGUST 2014 SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2014 In January, CFI hosted Matthew Offord MP On a visit to London in April, Dr Yuval Steinitz, Over 250 CFI members and 50 Conservative and Rt. Hon. Lord Michael Howard at the Israel’s Minister for Intelligence and Strategic MPs attended CFI’s Parliamentary Reception Knesset’s historic convening at Auschwitz- Affairs, met with over 40 Conservative in September.